Why Now?
by harryHEARTginny
Summary: A missing moment from book 6, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. The walk that Harry and Ginny took after he kissed her in the common room. Part of my new HP Book 6: Missing Moments Series


**Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling.**

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_The creature in his chest roaring in triumph, he grinned down at Ginny and gestured wordlessly out of the portrait hole. A long walk in the grounds seemed indicated, during which---if they had time----they might discuss the match._

– _Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince: Sectumsempra_

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Harry let Ginny climb through the portrait hole first before climbing in after her, he knew better than to help her through. Once in the corridor, the Fat Lady swung closed, cutting off the sounds of shocked whispers and some remaining wolf whistles from the common room. Harry look at Ginny, she was smiling at him, he returned the smile offering her his hand and she took it. Harry marveled at how perfectly her smile hand fit in his larger one. Without a word they began to walk down the corridors.

They remained quiet for quite some time, Harry wasn't sure about Ginny but he was having a bit of a hard time deciding on what to say. There was so much that they needed to talk about and he didn't know what was appropriate to start with. They had just exited the Entrance Hall and were now in the fresh air of spring when Ginny broke the silence.

"So, why now?"

Harry sighed and smiled at her. "Do you mean, why do I like you now, or why did I kiss you now?"

Ginny thought for a moment, "Both, but answer the first part first."

He gave her hand a light squeeze before he answered. "I'm not sure, I think it's because we spent so much time together over the summer, and I really got to know you a lot better than just Ron's little sister. Then when we went back to school I guess I forgot exactly how little we hang out here, and I don't know, I guess I missed you.

"When me and Ron ran into you and Dean in the corridor the one day after quidditch I found myself furious at Dean. For the longest time I tried to convince myself that what I was feeling for you was purely older brotherly. That didn't work very long and I finally gave in and admitted to myself that I really did like you. "

Harry looked at Ginny, who had a slight blush in her cheeks. "When things began to get rough between me and Dean I started to notice you looking at me more, but I was never sure if that meant you liked me or not, though Hermione was hinting at it. A couple days before Dean and I broke up he said that he had noticed you staring at me in the common room and that he thought you were going to make a move on me while we were still dating. When he said that I got really mad, I don't know if it was just because he had kind of been getting on my nerves most of that day to begin with or if it was the thought that he would think that I would move on to another guy while I was still dating him like some tramp, because the way he said it made it sound like I would. Anyways, I was furious and yelled at him.

"Then, after we broke up, I really began to notice you again. It was like I was thirteen again and I had the biggest crush on Harry Potter." She paused and smiled up at him, if not a little shyly. "Do you remember that?"

"Yeah, I do," he laughed.

They had walked over to the lake by a giant oak tree. Harry led Ginny over to the tree and sat under it, Ginny set herself down between Harry's legs, both of her legs resting over his right one, so that they could still see each other's face. Harry wrapped his arms around her waist and she laid her head on his shoulder. It was about mid afternoon and the sun was high in the sky with only a few clouds to occasionally block out its light.

"So," Ginny said, looking out across the water as the rays of sun reflection of it made it seem to sparkle. "You still haven't answered the second part of my question."

Harry chuckled lightly, "I'm not really sure to say about that. I saw you running towards me and I don't know. I can't actually remember deciding to kiss you, I just sort of did. I hope you don't mind?"

"If I had minded Harry you would be in the hospital wing right now." answered Ginny in all seriousness.

"True," Harry laughed. He just realized how much of a risk it was to his health to kiss Ginny Weasley.

"Harry, after we kissed you were looking around the room like you were trying to find someone. Who were you looking for?" asked Ginny.

"I was trying to find Ron," Harry answered. "I wanted to see his reaction to me having just kissed his little sister in front of everyone in the middle of the common room."

"And-" Ginny prodded.

"He looked like a bludger had just hit him in the head." Harry answered briskly and he and Ginny both laughed. "But all in all he seemed like he was alright with it. Although, that might just have been the shock, I don't really expect to be let off that easily."

"You don't have to let him give you a hard time, Harry." Ginny said fiercely. "I am allowed to date who ever I want, and so are you. He can't control that."

Harry took Ginny's cheek in his hand. "Don't worry Ginny, no matter what he says it won't change us. I have wanted you for too long to give you up that easily."

Ginny beamed at him, and without mush of a warning her arms were wrapped around his neck and she was kissing him. To Harry she tasted like the sun on a warm summers day and smelled like lilacs and roses. Bring a hand up to get tangled in Ginny's hair, they deepened the kiss. They only separated when it became necessary that they both breathed, but even then they still kept their foreheads together while they panted for breath.

Harry looked into Ginny's hazel brown eyes and got lost for a moment in their depths. He couldn't remember being this happy in a long time, and he never wanted it to end. Once they had caught their breath again Harry lay down on the grass, pulling Ginny down with him. Ginny rested her head on his stomach and Harry had one arm behind his head as a pillow. They remained silent for a time, during which Harry contented himself by playing with strands of Ginny's fire red hair.

"Harry, can I ask you something?" Ginny said hesitantly.

"Sure, Ginny."

"You don't have to say anything if you don't want to," assured Ginny. "I was just wondering, I have noticed you leave the common room a few times this year without Ron and Hermione, and you I would never see you return before I would go up to be. I was just wondering where you've been going."

Harry sighed; this was going to be hard. "All I can tell you, Ginny, is that I've been going to meet with Dumbledore. I wish I could tell you more than that, but I can't."

Ginny nodded understandingly. This was another part of Ginny that Harry adored, she wasn't one to pry, she kept her nose in her own business. Although, not matter how excepting Ginny was, it still bugged him that he had to keep things from her, he wished desperately that he could tell her everything, but he knew he couldn't do that.

He propped himself up on an elbow, "Come on Ginny, let's go inside and get some dinner, I'm starving."

Ginny laughed and sat up. "You boy's and your food."

Harry laughed too, and too her hand in his as they walked back to the castle. He knew perfectly well that the moment that they walked into the Great Hall the whole school would know that Harry Potter was going out with Ginny Weasley, if half the school didn't know already, news travels fast at Hogwarts, but he didn't really care if people gossiped about him and Ginny going out and he doubted that she did either.

They had enter the Entrance Hall and were now standing outside the doors to the Great Hall, and as if she knew what he was thinking, Ginny gave his hand a small squeeze and they entered through the doors…

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**Thanks for reading, I hope you liked it. I would love to hear what you all thought, if you loved it or hate, I just want to get a bit of feedback. Thanks!**


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